“In leaving there is finding.”
Words that have never rang more true about the journey that I’ve been on. I’ve been home for about two weeks and all I can think about what God has done. What he chose to use me for. To be part of a plan much greater than my own. One in which I would never be able to fathom the unexpected, uncanny, undeniable God-breathed experiences I could ever be apart of….so far. Saying Yes to an 11 month journey, to 11 nations, with 26 strangers, with nothing but two bags and a passport would be the best decision I ever made next to declaring Jesus as the Savior of my life. Because of a decision like this I have gained so much more confidence in who I am in Christ and the purpose he has for my life. It’s somewhat cliche to say I have never felt more alive in my life and not just because I traveled to more places than most people do in their whole lifetime but because my life for a year was to travel around to do ministry day in and day out. Something God called me too when I was 17 years old sitting at my first church retreat. And at 22 God called me to missions. Fast forward a year and I was finally living it all out.
It never got old. Waking up in a foreign country walking down streets and dirt roads and saying “Wow, God you really brought me here.” I remember the morning before we left to the airport for our final debrief. I’m walking down the sidewalk of Bandung, Indonesia tree branches overhead in the most perfect weather. I watched as motors and cars zipped by and looking at all the little street shops as I passed by with the local Indonesians siting outside staring at me and exchanging smiles. Remembering the feeling of being the foreigner to a distant land. Being the only Jesus they may ever see. I know I wasn’t ready to leave at that moment. It was out of my control at that point. God was calling me out of a season and into something new. The whole race we had to embrace the uncertainty of change and you would think after of 11 months of doing it that we would be use to it by now but personally it was the hardest change I ever had to accept.
To be honest I’m living in change right now and don’t think I have truly fully accepted it. And that’s okay because these things take time and my God is patient with me even when I’m being stubborn.
Anyways, my last month was one of my favorites that I will probably remember best since it’s the freshest memories i have from my whole experience.
As soon as we got to our ministry site my team was shipped off for a week to go to remote village in the mountains that didn’t have many encounters with foreigners to live with Muslims and help with English camps at school during Ramadan. It was something we were all nervous about. It was good nerves now because this was something that was going to challenge us to stretch a little further. Personally I have felt compelled to minister to more Muslims since being on the race and there we were in the largest Islamic country probably the only Christians in the village of maybe 1000 people. They loved us, broke down stereotypes, and conversed beliefs with us. It so much more than I thought this month would ever be and one of my favorite weeks on the entire race. I could probably write a whole blog on this experience alone.
We got back and spent even more time making friends and using our free time to go out to lunch or go out for coffee or play sports with the local Indonesians in the city of Bandung. We were able to encourage the few Christians we came across and have heart to heart discussions with Muslims who became great friends to us. They showed us their city and their hearts. The process was beautiful and oh so familiar being in month 11. Again it was another thing that never got old for me.
You got to experience their culture to fit in better with their society
You gained friendships that ended up being more meaningful then you ever expected
Even if things didn’t always seem to make sense to everyone at times
And despite the language barrier and cultural norms, despite our different beliefs, or the color or of our skin, there was always a way to love each other and make long lasting memories
It’s always worked like that on the World Race. As long as I chose to be that same willing vessel that said “Yes” to this journey then he would put all the pieces together to create a masterpiece in the end. He pieced together challenges, people, discomforts, heartache, questions, celebrations, capabilities, capacities, grace, mercy, and love to create beautiful artwork I hang up in the gallery of my memories. To recollect of each triumph and appreciate the potter’s hand. That each piece of artwork took prayer, trust, and time to make. Each month that went by tells a different story with a different theme, and different colors, and different textures.
I’m so grateful that it ended in the way it did. And I’m even more grateful for the people I did it with. God connected me to some of the most impacting people I could ever meet. Meeting them at Training camp a year ago I realized day after day how blessed I was to be part of the smallest squad but the mightiest of warriors.
On this journey I was put on three teams all with different people that each took me into different seasons of fighting for one another and calling each other higher. These people lived with me day in and day out month after month and still chose to love me for me. They never stopped loving me, never stopped praying for me, and never gave up on me. Word will never be enough to express who they are and how thankful I am that God chose them too. They know me more than I’ve ever let anyone. I miss them everyday
Team Harmonic Remnant
Team Lumineers
Team Invivtus
AKA
Team AF
Even the ones I never got to be on a team with still mean more then they will ever know. Again I’m grateful it ended in the way that it did. I would do it all over again if I could. The same places, the same people, some of the same ministries. Asia will always be my second home and V-Squad my second family.
From Beijing to Bali and back to America. There’s much more to return to and propel forward to for my life. God has given me a tremendous heart for Japan and to be a full time missionary there but first has me taking the path of education through a Bible school in Malaysia for three years. It’s a quick turn around since I’ll be leaving September. I’m so much more in love with my calling and to pursue this dream and make it a reality. I understand how much more capable I am. In the meantime I’m processing this trip, spending quality time with family and friends, and loving on my city. A lot to catch up on and pray for Orlando.
Thank you for reading all this if you did and following my journey, and cheering me on, and living vicariously through my posts, and praying for my squad, and donating to me investing into all these lives. I saw so many people come to Christ, people get baptized, friends lead worship, teach, preach, and give their all. Now all of us have new chapters of our lives about to start. Some know what their doing, some going back to school, or back on the field, or just back to life. So if can ask one more thing for you as a reader whether you’re a parent, a racer on the field or off the field, a friend, or just another follower, please pray for us being back home. It’s a lot to process and a lot to take in and I know for a fact more than ever before is that prayer changes things. I’m going through it now and grateful that I am. All I can do is pray. Prayer got us through it all we faced and safely back home. It’s what I’ll always stand on.
And if you want to follow my new journey then email me at [email protected]
This may not be my last blog and it’s definitely not my last journey so stay tuned.
I’ll leave you with three things I’ve really learned on this journey.
Christ is Enough.
Be all things to all people.
and
“A ship in a harbor is safe but that is not what ships are made for.”
God Bless,
Carlos Your World Racer
